TOKYO, Sept 17 (KUNA) -- The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant said Tuesday it has dumped more than 1,100 tons of rainwater into the Pacific Ocean due to a typhoon that hit the area.
The radioactivity in the released water was within the safety standard, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) officials said. To reduce the risk of overflowing, workers on Monday discharged about 1,130 tons of the rainwater that had pooled inside concrete barriers around storage tanks holding radioactive water, the utility said.
TEPCO said the level of radiation in the drained rainwater was up to 24 becquerels per liter, lower than the government-set discharge limits of 30 becquerels per liter. Heavy rain has lashed at the Fukushima plant due to the effects of Typhoon Man-Yi, which left at least eight people dead or missing in the country.
Even before the typhoon, TEPCO had been struggling to keep the massive amount of radiation-tainted water from seeping out from the storage tank into the Pacific Ocean through drainage channels.
Earlier this month, the government announced a plan to spend JPY 47 billion (USD 470 million) to achieve a fundamental solution to contain the build-up of radioactive water. (end) mk.sd KUNA 171018 Sep 13NNNN